when Peter, Mark and Dennis celebrated their very first birthday. Their mom, Karin Scholtz, had baked a cake for her little ones and as they were enjoying every single bite, she snapped a picture of the triplets holding a birthday sign. Little did she know that this photo would lead to 33 years of her children coming together in every birthday to take the exact same picture. As it is wonderful to see the boys change over the yeas,
The last image is very striking. Continue reading, trying not to cry when you reach the end. The triplets became more aware of their own birthday the following year and were eagerly anticipating their portrait. Karin produced another reminder for the boys by happily smiling in front of the camera – and with the birthday sign hanging on the door. Even though there was no cake this time, she dressed them in identical clothing. With their gleaming blond hair and bright yellow soccer shirts. It was all smiles for their second birthday. They had not anticipated, however, what life had in store for them. I’m confident that everyone will be moved by this narrative!
Wearing snoopy sweaters and sitting on the couch while holding up the birthday tag, the boys were waiting for their mom to take their third birthday picture. As the boys expected a photo to be taken, a tradition was born. From now on, the triplets would pose together on their birthday each year. There were only two requirements: there had to be a birthday sign, and the boys had to stand in the same order. Peter on the left, Mark in the middle, and Dennis on the right. What Karin didn’t know, was that the boys would keep this tradition alive for much longer than she could ever imagine…
On their eighth birthday the boys added a little touch to their tradition. Though they chose to wear matching sweaters with the same patterns, they each went for a different color. Little did they know that this would be the last picture taken in their house. A month after Karin took their picture, the house burned down to the ground due to a gas leak. Everyone got out safe and unharmed, but losing the house they grew up in was a heavy blow for the triplets. The next year they would stay with the neighbor who had grown to adore the boys.
Now that they had a new home, they added a new tradition to their annual birthday picture: posing in the garden. The boys were happy to have a place to live in again and as they turned 10 years old, they felt very mature. Peter, on the left, had saved up some money to buy a camera and wanted to use it on this special occasion since they lost the old one in the fire. He started the timer, ran back into position, and the three of them posed with the sign in their hands. Thanks to Peter’s camera they were able to take their annual birthday photo. It turned out to be a beautiful picture of the already grown boys – a picture that will be followed by many more.
When the boys were old enough to attend high school, their parents decided that Peter should stay in elementary school for another year. Because Peter was frequently absent from school. He didn’t like being separated from his brothers for the first time in their life, but he understood why they made the decision they did. Peter’s finest suggestion was to take things easy for another year. However, his time would come…
By the time the triplets became 17, they gave up their different hair styles. They even went back to the same hair cut and gave up on the hair dye and long hair. The three brothers wanted to look the same again in their annual birthday photo. At this time Peter, Mark and Dennis were still making their way in high school and soon had to make a decision in which direction they wanted to study. Each of them saw a different future for himself…
When the triplets turned 22, they were still living in Berlin. They stopped whatever they were doing to pose for another birthday photo. Each of the boy’s hair grew longer and darker this year – though that’s about the only thing different compared to last year. The brothers were happy and still showed their biggest smile for the picture. Little did they know that the next year would again be a tough one. Continue reading on the next page.
Unfortunately, Karin passed away due to colon cancer in the year her boys turned 27. The brothers inherited the house and decided to live there altogether. The house was perfect for the three of them – and besides that, they loved the memories they shared there. That same year, Peter and Suzan also found out they were pregnant. They couldn’t be any happier knowing that their baby would grow up in the same house as they did!
After all the ups and downs the triplets went through, they were still expecting great things from the future when they turned 33. Just like all the previous birthdays, the three happily held their birthday sign and smiled at the camera – little did they know, that this would be their last photo together… The three brothers wanted to continue the tradition until the end, but for Peter, it came much sooner than expected. They stopped taking the pictures after one of them, unfortunately, passed away. The brothers stopped the tradition because it would never be the same without Peter.
